My name is Emily Hammermeister. I’m a senior at Loyola University Chicago, majoring in Environmental Science and minoring in Studio Art. I grew up in a suburb of the Chicagoland area, right in the backyard of huge refineries, spewing who knows what into the atmosphere.
Local Communities Taking on Big Oil
These communities—South Deering, Pilsen, and Little Village—all keep fighting back. The support of groups like the Sierra Club and Pilsen Alliance, standing in solidarity with them, makes them even stronger. As Cheryl Johnson said to me, it is important to “follow what you believe is wrong to try and make it right.” And that’s just what these communities are doing.
March 6, 2019